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11th September 2020
Thanks for visiting. Here’s the alternate news.
We’ve been tweeting staff from West Herts Hospital Trust as that is the ONLY way to let you know that there IS a BETTER alternative for ALL if West Hertfordshire.
We REALLY appreciate the difficulty of working in decrepit old buildings. We’ve been there too ! We want a NEW A class hospital that everyone can get to AND local facilities. This is NOT what YOUR employer is currently shooting for.
Do you know for example that the current trust plan will see only £20m spent in St Albans and £20-30m spent in Hemel between now and 2030. And up to £550m in Watford !!!
We tried to talk to you via the trust’s stakeholder reference group – we asked could the trust publish what we have to say to staff in the same way it does for it’s proposed scheme but they said NO.
OK we get it. It’s them running the show, and we’re just a bunch of shouty people. WAIT A MINUTE. WE’RE NOT. We’re a knowledgeable, informed, professional, community group pushing for better than the current scheme offers.
How can staff help
We need staff to complete the trusts survey. It proposes developing an Outline Business Case with a shortlist that DOES NOT INCLUDE A CLEAR SITE. That’s less than ideal for staff and patients alike.
Before you fill in the survey, we’d like to explain a bit about who we are.
We have lots of information about what we are proposing right here on our website. For example our news page is REALLY up to date with our news and views.
We have a bunch of articles that you might like to read. Have a look round and get to know what we’re all about. We hope you will agree that by REMOVING a clear site from the shortlist, there is no way of knowing whether a new hospital on a clear site will be quicker and cheaper and faster to deliver.
But what if voting against the trust proposals delays things ?
We do NOT want for one minute to delay things. We totally get how BAD the facilities are. We use them. You are heroes for putting up with the facilities.
There is a fear factor spread by the trust that if this money is not secured NOW it will be lost forever. This was used last time WHEN THERE WAS NO MONEY. In fact, the money will ONLY be given to the Dept of Health and the trust AFTER the Treasury has agreed the budget, AND agreed the Outline business case (being worked on til 2021), and the Full business case (2022 to 2023). So while nobody wants to see a delay, the pace that the trust and government work is like a snail ! (we didn’t really mean that).
We do NOT agree with pushing through a solution using the excuse that the money will be lost. If nothing else, there is ZERO evidence that the trusts current proposal is going to be value for money because it has not yet been considered.
What have we acheived so far ?
For 3 years we have been attending public meetings where the trust and CCG have been telling members of the public that a decision has been made.
For three years we have been attending public meetings where the trust and CCG have TOLD the public that a decision is made been made and a new hospital will be built
For three years we’ve been trying to get CCG and the trust to listen to the public across West Hertfordshire.
We’ve built up a network of supporters right across the West Hertfordshire area and keep in touch with them via newsletter. Signup now and we promise not to tell the trust !
A year ago, we found a new site to put a hospital on between Watford, St Albans & Hemel Hempstead. The trust met with us, and the landowner, and agreed to review the site. They did this in June 2020 – a full year after we first approached them. Their so-called independent consultants spent 45 minutes talking to the landowner and then concluded the site would not work.
What next ?
The main reason it was discounted (together with 3 other sites) is that the trust say that a new hospital on a clear site will take longer to build then one in Watford and the government says the money is available is ONLY available IF the hospital is built by 2025. (Election time anyone ?).
But already the trust are saying they can’t build a new hospital in Watford by 2025 !
IF the Outline Business Case in preparation is thrown out by the treasury or Dept of Health, there will be NO HOSPITAL anywhere. The previous SOC was thrown out only to be re-submitted in 2019.
IF the judicial review being mounted against the trust and CCG succeeds, there is a chance that the trust will be forced to go back to the drawing board.
So in our view, to ensure the BEST case is made that carefully considers ALL of the views across West Hertfordshire, and properly considers the new sites, and gets best value out of public funds, there is only 1 option
REJECT THE CURRENT TRUST PROPOSAL AND INSIST ON KEEPING A NEW HOSPITAL ON A CLEAR SITE ON THE SHORTLIST.
If enough people vote AGAINST the trusts proposal, the trust and CCG board will find it incredibly difficult to push through a scheme that by the trusts own admission will only result in B class or worse facilities in St Albans and Hemel Hempstead until at least 2030.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. We really appreciate the hard work the staff do !
Please sign up for updates from us here and then follow the instructions here to fill in the survey.